Lbvi short



L. SHORT.

GAS MAKING APPARATUS.

No. 28,720. Patented June 12, 1860.

so i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI SHORT, OF BUFFALO, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND CHAS. S PIERCE, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATINGr-GAS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,720, dated June 12, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI SHORT, of the city of Buffalo and State of New York, (assignor to CHARLES S. PIERCE, of the same place,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Mannfacturing Gas from Coal- Oil and other Oils; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, in which Figure I is a side elevation of my improved apparatus as the several parts are arranged together. Fig. II is a vertical section of retort house, retort, and furnace.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

A, represents a vessel or reservoir, into which the oil is put for the purpose of being conducted into the retort. This is elevated sufficiently above the retort to force the oil through a crooked conducting pipe into the retort.

B, represents a circular retort house which contains within it, the retort and furnace. It also has a draft chimney B, to conduct off whatever of smoke which may escape from the furnace. This retort house may be of a single wall as represented, or'as a modification, it may be made of double walls, and the space between the walls filled with concrete, plaster of paris, or other nonconducting material, so as to confine the heat within.

C, represents a circular air-tight retort having concavo-convex top and bottom plates 0, 0 The top plate has a strong screw cap, 0 which is for the purpose of an opening to clean the retort. This retort is suspended within the retort house, by means of brackets f, (or otherwise) leaving sufficient room for draft between it and the side of the house. 7

D, represents a gas furnace. This consists of a vertical cylinder or chimney, open at each end, the lower end being in the free air, outside of the retort-house. It has an enlarged perforated top G, which forms an offset or shoulder, as shown at g. A piece of wire gauze or a perforated metal cap, equal to the diameter of the top G is placed, within which is supported upon the shoulder g, upon this wire gauze, and over the shoulder is laid asbestos, or other noncombustible substance of like nature. The gasfiame, which burns upon the surface of the perforated metal cap, comes in contact with this asbestos, which is very quickly heated to a red or white heat. This serves to intensify the heat which strikes the retort.

I, represents a gas pipe, leading from the gasometer to the furnace, having an appropriate stop cock as shown at i. It passes in at the bottom of the furnace cylinder and terminates a little below the wire gauze over the top of the furnace cylinder, so that the gas will pass through the Wire gauze, and burn on the upper surface thereof, the flame, spreading upon the asbestos which becomes intensely hot.

J, represents a crooked pipe, leading from the oil reservoir to the retort. It forms a bend at j, which will always be full of oil,

even when there is none in the reservoir, so

that air cannot under any circumstances, pass into the retort.

Two gage cocks K, K, are placed in this pipe so as to regulate the flow of oil through the pipe. Between these two cocks the pipe is filled with spun or wove wicking, or other like material, for the purpose of a filter. The end of the pipe which opens into the retort is made tapering and quite small as a further precaution against admitting the oil into the retort too fast. These several precautions are taken, in order to insure a given quantity of oil to pass into the retort in a given time. It is of the highest importance to have a perfect control over the quantity of oil which shall be admitted into the retort in a given time, so that no more shall pass in than can be readily converted into gas. It is also important, that the oil be distributed over the entire surface of the plate 0 so as to insure its most perfect distillation, and for this purpose a small cup or saucer o, is placed upon the plate for the oil to drop into so that it will overflow from the saucer from many points, and thus insure its complete distribution over the surface of the plate.

L, represents a purifier of ordinary construction containing lime water through which the gas passes on its way to the gasometer.

M, is a pipe which conducts the gas from the retort to the purifier. In this pipe is a stop cock (m) which should in all cases be shut, as soon as the heat is withdrawn from the furnace.

N, represents a gasometer of ordinary construction. The pipe 0, which connects with the purifier is bent downward in the gasometer as shown at 0, so that its open end will be in the water.

P, is a main pipe which conducts the gas from the gasometer. This may be connected with the gas pipes, in any building which is to be lighted with gas. It has a stop cock as shown at 7).

Operation: The reservoir A is to be filled with coal oil, or other oil. In first starting the apparatus, the retort, O, is to be heated with an alcohol or fluid torch, (or otherwise) until sufiicient gas is made to supply the furnace from the gasometer. The gas from the gasometer is then turned on, so as to pass through the pipe I, into the furnace. It is then lighted and burns on the surface of the wire gauze h, the flame striking the concave plate 0 of the retort, which soon becomes red hot, a draft being through the spaces left between it and the walls of the retort house. The retort soon becomes intensely heated. Then the oil may be turned on so that it will drop (about two drops per second) and spread over the surface of the plate 0 as before described. The redhot late and heat within the retort instant y converts the oil into gas. The gas is then conducted from the retort through the pipe M, to the purifier, and from thence into the gasometer, by well known means and applied to the various purposes for which as is used.

It Wlll be noticed that after the furnace has first been heated by other means, suflicient to generate a small quantity of gas, then the apparatus will furnish its own heat. A sufiicient quantity of gas will always be kept in the gasometer to start the furnace. A very small jet of gas used in a furnace constructed as herein described will be sufficient to heat the retort as hot as may benecessary for the purpose. The heat may be increased to any required degree by increasing the quantity of gas consumed.

The gas produced as herein described is of a superior quality, and at a trifling expense and will afford the means for every family to manufacture its own gas, for gas lights, at an expense of from fifty to seventy cents per 1,000 feet.

I claim 1. A gas furnace D, constructed and operating substantially as herein described,

in combination with the retort C, and retort house B, for the purposes set forth.

2. The relative arrangement of the oil reservoir A, retort house B (including the retort and furnace) purifier L, and gasometer N substantially as described for the purposes set forth.

LEVI SHORT.

WVitnesses E. B. FoRBUsH, WALTER H. FoRBUsH. 

